For the last time Rorschach isn't BATMAN, he's nothing like Batman, he's THE QUESTION taken to the ultimate extreme, not Batman. Granted to two characters have a lot in common, but the Question has always been more Hard Boiled Private Eye less Sherlock Holmes + Cape. He's also a crazy conspiracy theorist nutter, you know, like Rorschach!

The Great JT:Monologue on your own time, Kovaks. Breen's got a show to do.

NEVER INTERUPT THE INTERNAL MONOLOGE!

Quintin Stone:A friend of mine says Rorschach is the only hero of the comic because he never compromises his principles.

I think there's a bit more to being a hero than that. My friend says a lot of weird things. Even so, while only the Comedian was more fascist, I do love me some Rorschach.

Well, one of the points of the comic (at least in my interpretation) was that those heroes were people, complete with all the disfunctions that tend to accompany them. Rorschach was a psychopath; Nite Owl was going through a mid-life crisis; the Comedian was an alcoholic with the dangerously Neiztchean outlook on humanity; even John (Dr. Manhattan) had severe relational problems.

One could argue that Ozymandias is the true hero of the story, seeing as he brought about the world peace that no one else could using the Freudian theory of human development to create a common enemy. At the same time, he could also be viewed, of course, as the overarching villian. This was a point of the story, that "Good" and "Evil" are poorly concieved notions that one assigns without thinking that maybe neither can be justified.

I liked all the characters in Watchmen, but since Rorschach is the "protagonist" and since much of the story revolves around the Comedian, those are my favorite charachters. off-topic: Alan Moore... one of the best authors in the world. (atleast I think so)

EDIT: though I think it's interesting, Moore tries very hard to make the characters relatable, giving them very human issues. But the one character that actually is a hero all the time (almost) and doesn't seem to have a social life, is being criticized for not having a solcial life, IE being too much of a hero. If Superman didn't have a life as Clark Kent he could probably save a lot more people... (If you disagree, please don't get caught up on my comparing Rorschach to Superman... please.)

Damn, part 2? How did a new Stolen Pixels sneak under the radar like that? Anywho, great couple of comics. I didn't know they did a video game on Watchmen though (note that I'm not surprised, just uninformed).

your analysis of Rorschach makes a lot of sense. he shows bravery to bring back a desolate world as he marches on towards oblivion is almost like the story of Christ. only difference between the two is that Rorschach's journey has eaten his mind. this is also what separates him from any other superhero, he's essentially off the brink and completely insane. he's abandoned his real name and alter ego in favor of his costume, his "face". moore was spot on in creating a character like him, since now many other super heroes have this conflict in several of their movies (The Dark Knight and Spider-man 2)

Rorschach is plain crazy.... but I don't believe he internally monologues. My reading (hah) was thta in the comic we're reading his journal on "playback" while he goes through the panels in "real time".

Beyond that, Rorschach is a badass, but he also expresses the black & white morality of comic book heroes. He kills and maims those whom he judges to be evil, with little thought as to degree. It's the reason he can't exist in Oz's world at the end - he couldn't compromise his principles to allow for a peaceful world.

Always nice to see Rorschach make an appearance, though it's always annoying when the inevitable Batman comparison comes up.

Rorschach is not Batman - Moore might have specifically told us he was supposed to represent a Batman-like character if he was in the real world, but Moore is frankly full of it. Read the link and tell me that fellow's analysis is off-track.

Rorschach has far far more in common with the Punisher, except he doesn't use guns.

I think people like Rorschach because he was right all along - the same paranoia and unflinching goals that make him a dangerous psychopath also let him figure out what's going on long before Nite Owl and the rest of the crew. Clearly he belongs in the madhouse, but he's the protagonist.

Rorshach was intended by Alan Moore to be a sort of "Straw Objectivist", actually, as it's Moore's personal belief that "extreme" ideologies don't and can't work. He said (and you'll have to look up where yourself, I think there was an interview about it) that Rorshach was, in many ways, his response to the sort of writing that Steve Ditko did, Ditko being (sort of) an Objectivist.

Semi-Objectivist-ish characters get this sort of response all the time because just about everyone recognizes on some level that consistency, determination, focus, strong ethics, etc. are all *extremely valuable traits* and *necessary* if one is to accomplish goals instead of just accident-ing one's way through life. The homophobia, paranoia, etc. are incidental traits thrown on as an attempt to "kick the dog" and show that Rorshach is not *supposed* to be a real protagonist. However, this aspect of his characterization (particularly in the movie, where it's all tell, don't show) is completely unimportant and most people recognize it as such.

Authors with mixed or just outright bad philosophical premises (like Moore) often have this problem: those they intended to portray as villains wind up being much more engaging and interesting than the characters they intended to be heroes, or at least protagonists. Add in the fact that most people's philosophies are impossible to enact in real life and the heroes end up as wishy-washy inconsistent twerps while the villains are righteous badasses.

Repulsed by Rorschach's behaviour? Far from it. I agree with his actions in a lot of ways -- criminals have placed themselves outside of the law, so they cannot expect its protection either.Without going into spoiler territory for those three people that have never seen the movie or read the novel, the way Rorschach deals with the last criminal before he is considered to have gone insane (the dog lover) is something I applaud.

It is the boyscout characters I really despise. Someone letting a murderer or child rapist walk over a technicality so they can continue their actions ought to be held equally responsible for all the crimes committed by that person.

CYOA statement: I know this isn't "PC" and am not advocating vigilantism, but I can understand it.

The scene in prison that highlights Rorshach's ferocious competence does a lot to boost the character in people's esteem, I think. Stripped even of his costume, Rorshach is still a formidable force.

There's also no question that people, including myself, find a lot to admire in adherence to one's principles even in the face of certain death. I think what many people find most repellant in others' political philosophies, especially ones they think "extreme" is a sense that they have all these grand plans for how the world "ought" to be that demand that other people make all the sacrifices. (Don't pat yourself on the back presuming I'm talking about your political opposite.) However repellant or "extreme" Rorshach's views might be, he adheres to them no matter the cost, and obviously it's cost him a lot.

Rorschach, along with the other entirely correct things my peers said, had the best monologue/narration. Dr. Manhattan had the worst DEAR GOD. It was interesting, nevertheless.I liked the Comedian the best >> judge me how you will.

How the heck could Rorschach be considered the most reprehensible of the watchmen? Has anyone read the comic or seen the movie? Yeah, he was homophobic (which I'm not sure they even mention in the movie version) and crazy, but when compared to some of the others, his actions pale in comparison...

Callate:The scene in prison that highlights Rorshach's ferocious competence does a lot to boost the character in people's esteem, I think. Stripped even of his costume, Rorshach is still a formidable force.

There's also no question that people, including myself, find a lot to admire in adherence to one's principles even in the face of certain death. I think what many people find most repellant in others' political philosophies, especially ones they think "extreme" is a sense that they have all these grand plans for how the world "ought" to be that demand that other people make all the sacrifices. (Don't pat yourself on the back presuming I'm talking about your political opposite.) However repellant or "extreme" Rorshach's views might be, he adheres to them no matter the cost, and obviously it's cost him a lot.

I think it's more that humanity is focused on differences that lead to hostility. Therefore, we needed something not only hostile towards us, but completely different from us to show our only real allies we have in this universe are other humans.